Create Astounding Joy in Your Life - Practice an Attitude of Gratitude!

The previous article, "The Power of Gratitude", gave rise to locating and sharing quotes from others on how they view, practice, and then share gratitude and thankfulness for everything.

Vignettes that Encourage

These vignettes are offered to encourage you to view your life's events differently. Differently in the sense that you can achieve another level of life acceptance and appreciation. Yes, you too can create astounding joy in your life by practicing an attitude of gratitude!

When you've read the listing below, you might wish to record your own statements of gratitude and thankfulness or seek others to add to your collection. Whatever you do, practicing gratitude, thankfulness and thanksgiving daily will add great contentment and fulfillment to your life.

Here then for your enrichment are a number of quotes on gratitude!

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." --John Fitzgerald Kennedy

"God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say thank you?" --William A. Ward

"For today and its blessings, I owe the world an attitude of gratitude." --Clarence E. Hodges

"In all things, give thanks." --Holy Bible

"A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues." --Cicero

"Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart." --Seneca

"Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that thankfulness is indeed virtue." --William J. Bennett

"A grateful mind is a great mind which eventually attracts to itself great things." --Plato

"Whatever we are waiting for -- peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abundance-- it will surely come to us, but only when we are ready to receive it with an open and grateful heart." --Sarah Ban Breathnach

"At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us." --Albert Schweitzer

Lemons or Lemonade?

These quotations provide a view of how to create astounding joy in your life by practicing an attitude of gratitude across all lines of your life. Some have said "when life throws you lemons, make lemonade." What better way to make that lemonade than to offer continuous and constant thankfulness and gratitude for all that you have, all that you are and all that you plan to become?

Those mentioned above found that gratitude and thankfulness was a way to fill up their lives with the contentment and joy they so desperately needed. Do you need this kind of contentment? Do you need this kind of joy? Then begin to practice being grateful and thankful.

Doing so will surely drive away depression, hopelessness and helplessness. With so much going on today in just our economic climate alone lends itself to being in the doldrums. You might think this to be a reason to be grumpy, distressed, depressed and downright anti-social. Actually, all those tend to get you is more of the same.

Stop the Storms -- Bring on the Sun!

Have you noticed that when you start to complain you can usually find someone else who is also ready to complain about their own woes? Does this really help you or does it increase your anxiety? What I've found is that as soon as I begin to complain about anything the clouds gather over my head and soon the sun is blotted out and I don't feel so good anymore.

Having taken note of this and the changes that take place in my body when I begin to verbalize this stuff, I've learned and embrace the idea of watching carefully what I say and have determined that I will not allow myself to engage in defeatist self-talk or distressing language. What I practice instead is the language of gratitude and thanksgiving. What a difference this has made in my psyche.

Experience the Joy

Does it work? Just try it for three days (if you are a chronic complainer it takes about three days to break the habit). You'll never want to go back to complaining. I didn't and don't. What I gave up was depression, anxiety and hopelessness. In its place I now have a freer spirit that looks for and finds the good in everything. I've found the joy and contentment I craved.

And, lest you think that everything is actually great in my life, I want to dispel that thought. I have, like so many others, been negatively impacted by the current economic downturn. As such, my challenge is in locating gainful employment and the benefits that come with having a paycheck. That being said, I practice thankfulness and gratitude because I simply have so much for which to be grateful and thankful. I could start a list but I would have a hard time stopping. It's just that long.

You too can experience the contentment and joy that I have. Start with practicing thankfulness and an attitude of gratitude!